+Stanley Squelchers Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Hi - question from a newbie looking to upgrade from his Garmin Geko 201. I am looking to get either a vista or legend but am not sure whether to specifically go for the Hcx rather than getting a deal on a cx. My 2 questions are , Is there a significant difference in sensitivity of reception in woods for example between the cx and Hcx Secondly, how would the receptiuon of the cx and Hcx compare with the Geko 201 Many thanks Quote Link to comment
+talkytoaster Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 (edited) Hi - question from a newbie looking to upgrade from his Garmin Geko 201. I am looking to get either a vista or legend but am not sure whether to specifically go for the Hcx rather than getting a deal on a cx. My 2 questions are , Is there a significant difference in sensitivity of reception in woods for example between the cx and Hcx Secondly, how would the receptiuon of the cx and Hcx compare with the Geko 201 Many thanks Can't answer your Geko 201 question, but the difference between a high-sensitivity chipset and a standard one is very noticeable especially in deep woods or areas where signals tend to be poorer. As an example my GPSmap60c frequently loses lock in woodland [or accuracy is 60ft+], whereas my Legend HCX doesn't tend to [accuracy tends to be under 30ft and as good as 3ft] in these poor signal areas. As to whether a Legend or Vista is better, it depends on what features you want? If you require electronic compass and/or barometer, then you will need the Vista Hcx, if you just want a good solid GPSr with mapping facilities and good sensitivity/accuracy then the Legend Hcx is fine. You can even install a MicroSD card and stick Topo GB or my FREE OSM UK maps with contours on instead. I noticed that Amazon.co.uk had the Legend HCX for £136.05 & FREE delivery in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. I was helping someone last night with this very model. Not sure they are the cheapest, but it is a good price. Hope this helps? Regards, Martin Edited March 3, 2009 by talkytoaster Quote Link to comment
+Stanley Squelchers Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 Hi - question from a newbie looking to upgrade from his Garmin Geko 201. I am looking to get either a vista or legend but am not sure whether to specifically go for the Hcx rather than getting a deal on a cx. My 2 questions are , Is there a significant difference in sensitivity of reception in woods for example between the cx and Hcx Secondly, how would the receptiuon of the cx and Hcx compare with the Geko 201 Many thanks Can't answer your Geko 201 question, but the difference between a high-sensitivity chipset and a standard one is very noticeable especially in deep woods or areas where signals tend to be poorer. As an example my GPSmap60c frequently loses lock in woodland [or accuracy is 60ft+], whereas my Legend HCX doesn't tend to [accuracy tends to be under 30ft and as good as 3ft] in these poor signal areas. As to whether a Legend or Vista is better, it depends on what features you want? If you require electronic compass and/or barometer, then you will need the Vista Hcx, if you just want a good solid GPSr with mapping facilities and good sensitivity/accuracy then the Legend Hcx is fine. You can even install a MicroSD card and stick Topo GB or my FREE OSM UK maps with contours on instead. I noticed that Amazon.co.uk had the Legend HCX for £136.05 & FREE delivery in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. I was helping someone last night with this very model. Not sure they are the cheapest, but it is a good price. Hope this helps? Regards, Martin Martin, Many thanks for this, just what I needed. Having looked at the price of the Garmin TOPO maps I am very interested in the FREE OSM UK maps with contours you mention in your reply. More questions I'm afraid; Where would I find these; how easy are they to install and how do they compare to the Garmin TOPO's. Many thanks again again. Simon Quote Link to comment
+talkytoaster Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 (edited) Martin, Many thanks for this, just what I needed. Having looked at the price of the Garmin TOPO maps I am very interested in the FREE OSM UK maps with contours you mention in your reply. More questions I'm afraid; Where would I find these; how easy are they to install and how do they compare to the Garmin TOPO's. Many thanks again again. Simon Simon, No problem, ask away....... Answers: Where to get them? Here: http://sites.google.com/site/talkytoasteruk/ukmaps How easy to install? Well as long as you have a MicroSD card with enough space, it is fairly straightforward, details can be found on the same page and there is also a link to a FAQ page which covers most questions on installing and using them. As to comparing them with Topo? It depends on several things, but mainly it is down to how well an area has been mapped and updated by OSM members. You can find some examples of the maps on the main page and also in the FAQ page. The best way to find out is to go to the main OSM site and have a look at the map for the areas you are interested in. The good thing is that if your area is not fully covered, you can help to improve the map. Try doing that with Topo ;-) So in summary, in some cases the OSM maps are better than Topo, in others they are not as good. The OSM maps are currently not routable. If that is an issue for you then use Topo GB instead. I'm sure that other people that have tried the maps I compile from the OSM data can give you their feedback, and cover the pros and cons they have found? Hope this helps? Regards, Martin Edited March 3, 2009 by talkytoaster Quote Link to comment
+Yorkie30 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 "So in summary, in some cases the OSM maps are better than Topo, in others they are not as good. The OSM maps are currently not routable. If that is an issue for you then use Topo GB instead. I'm sure that other people that have tried the maps I compile from the OSM data can give you their feedback, and cover the pros and cons they have found?" Talkytoaster I use the OSM maps on my Etrex Vista and find them good in this area, surrey. I also have TOPO on SD card which is useful when the OSM map does not cover the area I am in. If I had known about OSM before I brought the TOPO then I would not have brought it..... I went for the Vista over the legend just for the electronic compass but find it is a good GPS and I find having the map on the GPS is better then my old Etrex H which just had a grey screen. Like you have been told before, go for the HCX not the CX, you will get fed up of losing signal under trees. Quote Link to comment
+Unobtainium Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 (edited) Talkytoaster's maps are great! As Talky says, if your area isn't covered or is poor, why not add the detail. I started out with a Garmin GPS12 and now have a Legend HCx. The newer H receiver gets a ix much more quickly and holds a fix with better accuracy than the GPS12. I have a compass and a barometer so these features were not important to me. Horses for courses. One word on geocaching with a Legend is that the clues must be manually added to each waypoint. I'm looking into using my Nintendo DS to get around this http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=205746 Andy K. Edited March 21, 2009 by akettlet Quote Link to comment
+ITCHYthirdEYE Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 Good post. I'm in the same position, rushed out and bought a 201 but found it far too basic and looking to buy an upgrade up to £150 Quote Link to comment
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